Food and the Environment: How do our food choices affect the planet? Daniel Cohan 2013 Jewish Food Summit, Congregation Brith Shalom

How do our food choices impact Earth?

How can we measure those impacts?

Life Cycle Assessment US EPA

Projected Warming by the 2090’s IPCC, 2007A1B scenario; Relative to

Projected Impacts of Warming 6 IPCC, 2007

Role of Food in Climate Change Overall Greenhouse Gas Emissions By Species

Food and Climate CO 2 (tractors, etc.) Nitrous oxide (fertilizers, etc.) Food Transport Driving Methane (manure, livestock, etc.) Food Production Total U.S. Emissions: 60 tons/household Lesson 1: Bigger carbon footprint from food than from driving Lesson 2: What we eat matters more than how far it travels

U.S. Carbon Footprint of Food

Energy in the Food Chain: The inefficiency of meat

Crops for feed, or for food? Worldwide, 35% of crops for animals In U.S., most grain grown for livestock and ethanol

Carbon footprint of food Lentils Tomatoes Milk Beans Tofu Broccoli Yogurt Nuts Peanut Butter Rice Potatoes Eggs Tuna Chicken Turkey Salmon Pork Cheese Beef Lamb Equivalent car miles driven per 4 oz. food consumed

What if everyone ate like Americans? “Earths” of resources consumed World Wildlife Federation

Food and Water More water is used for agriculture (irrigation) than all other uses combined World water use, 2005

Liters per 500g Liters per pot Liters per burger or steak Liters per liter Liters per 500g Note: For foods typically derived from non-irrigated crops (e.g., coffee), most of the water footprint is natural rainwater. For more on coffee’s footprint, see here.here

Water footprint per ton Total water use

Water Footprint: “Right” choices save 700 gallons by end of lunch Compare foods in right column with left

Fertilizers, Pesticides, and Ecosystems

Growing Fertilizer Use

Ammonium deposition Gulf of Mexico dead zone Fertilizers, livestock are leading causes of…

Take-home Messages What we eat is just as important as what we drive or how we power our homes Climate, water, land, and ecosystems are all impacted by our food choices Simple choices – especially regarding meat – can sharply alter our food footprint

EXTRA SLIDES

Agriculture Direct Contribution to U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Methane (CH 4 ) Nitrous Oxide (N 2 O) US EPA, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks:

Fertilizer Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems